How it unfolded: 'Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear'

Please note: The live video stream of the rally has concluded.

An overhead view of the rally. (Reuters)

COVERING THE COVERAGE: WE WATCH SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO

3:12 p.m. update: Stewart: "You want to know why I am here -- what I want from you? You have already given it to me. Your presence was what I wanted. Sanity will always be...in the eyes of the beholder. To see you here today and the kind of people you are, has restored mine. Thank you."

Stewart addresses the crowd. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)

End of speech

Stewart introduces the great Tony Bennett, who sings "America" a cappella, which is pretty extraordinary, gotta say.

Crowd begins to chant: "U-S-A!"

Stewart brings everyone back out onstage and Mavis Staples sings "I Know a Place" and while she sings, the credits roll over shots of the crowd, showing one sign that says "I Believe in a Sanity Clause" -- a great old Marx Brothers gag.

THE END

3:08 p.m. update: Stewart: "We hear every damn day about how fragile our country is -- on the brink of catastrophe, torn by polarizing hate. The truth is, we work together to get things done, every damn day. The only place we don't is here [he points to the city] or on cable TV. But Americans don't live here, or on cable TV."

3:03 p.m. update: Stewart: "There are terrorists and racists and Stalinists and theocrats, but those are titles that must be earned. You must have the resume. Not being able to distinguish between a real bigot and ... Rick Sanchez is an insult not only to [Sanchez] but to racists who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate."

3 p.m. update: Stewart: "Unfortunately, one of our main tools in delineating the two is broke. ... The country's 24-hour Political Pundit ... Panic Conflictionator did not cause our problems, but its existence makes solving them that much harder. ... The press can hold its magnifying glass up to our problems and bring them into focus to illuminate the issues -- or they can use that glass to light ants on fire and host a week of shows on the Dangerous Flaming Ant Epidemic. If we amplify everything, we hear nothing."

As rally winds down, most cable news networks have moved on; CNN wraps up its rally coverage with correspondent/comic Pete Dominick, reminding viewers for the bajillionth time that he used to be the warm-up act for Stewart and Colbert's shows.

"We saw part rock concert...part comedy" and some politics, anchor Dana Bash interjects, and asks Dominick what point Stewart and Colbert are trying to make.

"These guys are two of the smartest, funniest people in the world...But I'm biased...I worked with both of them for five years," Dominick says -- again.

2:58 p.m. update: Stewart: "We are all extremely honored to have had a chance to perform for you on this beautiful space, on the Mall in Washington, D.C. So uh, what exactly was this? I can't control what people think this was. I can only tell you my intentions: This was not a rally to ridicule people ... or look down at them or to suggest times are not difficult and we have nothing to fear. They are and we do. We live now in hard times but these are not End Times. We can have animus and not be enemies."

"Maybe the boys and girls out there can help him. Everyone there! Jon Stewart needs your help! Clap for him! Clap for him! Clap for him!"

"You're very kind, but I'm not dead," Stewart says.

"I'm melting!" Colbert cries, now doing "The Wizard of Oz." He falls to the ground. Oliver drags him offstage.

Time to get serious. Jon Stewart is about to Give A Speech:

"I know there are boundaries for a comedian pundit talker guy. I'm really happy you guys are here. Even if none of us are really quite sure why we are here. Some of you see this a a clarion call. Some of you just wanted to see the Air and Space Museum and got royally screwed. A lot of you are here to have a nice time and I hope you did."

2:30 p.m. update: CNN shows Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Banner across the bottom of the screen reads -- "Stewart: 'There are plenty of Muslim people who are not bad.'"

2:12 p.m. update: Kid Rock comes out and sings with Sheryl Crow.

Colbert is back onstage, now in a business suit. Introduces keynote speaker: Jon Stewart.

Stewart begins to bloviate, in a business suit.

Colbert interrupts. Of course he does. This is getting old.

Colbert challenges Stewart to a debate.

They begin to debate. Blah, blah, blah. It's very patronizing. Boring. They trot out Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by way of demonstrating there are non-scary Muslims. They bring out R2D2 by way of demonstrating robots aren't scary.

Then begins the Parade of Scary Media Clips. The Devil's Sound Bites.

"I win!" Colbert rants. "There is nothing you can do to defeat my video montage!"

The next Medal of Reasonableness goes to wrestler Mick Foley, for his charity work.

Colbert, left, and Stewart trade barbs. (Getty)

"This historic day, this incredible medal around my neck, I have my eyes and one remaining ear open, watching and listening, and if I see or hear anybody acting in an unreasonable manner I will not hesitate, like a righteous bolt of thunder, to ask you to be polite to each other. Civility is cool!" he shouts.

The final Fear-y goes to Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, because, thanks to Zuckerberg, people no longer say you're crazy when you think someone is tracking your every move. They just say "Oh, you're on Facebook," Colbert explained.

"He values his privacy a lot more than he values yours, so I will be accepting this medal on his behalf and will post a picture of me wearing it on my Facebook wall. Mark: Friend me!" Colbert jokes.

Stewart, not wanting the trophy-dispensing to end on "fear," hands out one more Medal of Reasonableness, to Jacob Isom -- the guy who in September, at a rally, grabbed a Koran from an evangelist who was talking about burning it.

Stewart hands the medal to Isom. Colbert grabs it out of Isom's hand. Stewart takes it back and hands it to Isom. All scripted. So far so good. But then Isom throws it out into the audience, shouting, "Thank you!"

2 p.m. update: CNN correspondent Kate Bolduan returns to say this is one of the hardest rallies she's ever had to cover. "At any moment, you don't know what's going on...but I think that's the point." Notes she has seen no politicians in the crowd.

They erupt into some tune about this being the greatest, strongest country in the world.

1:51 p.m. update: Jon Stewart brings out Velma Hart, the second winner of his Medal of Reasonableness. She's the woman who asked President Obama very tough but respectful questions at a CNBC forum.

Stewart asks her if she has her own daytime talk show yet. She doesn't. Joke dies.

Michelle McAuliffe of D.C. (Michael Williamson/The Washington Post)

Stephen Colbert hands out his next Fear-y: "Whenever you see Anderson Cooper on your front yard or rubble pile" in his tight black T-shirt, you feel the urge to stock up on water, duct tape, "toilet paper and ammunition," Voiceover Guy says.

"So true. Which is why today we are proud to give the next Fear Medal to Anderson Cooper's Tight Black T-Shirt!

T-shirt is brought out.

"It is an honor to meet you," Colbert says, shaking hands with the sleeve.

1:42 p.m. update: Stewart hands out the first Medal of Reasonableness, which will go to "individuals who demonstrated rationality," he says.

First winner is: Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga, who got a bad call from an umpire that stopped him from achieving a perfect game, but he remained calm even as the public erupted in anger. The next day Galarraga came out on the field and shook the umpire's hand and said "kind words," Stewart explained. Galarraga accepted the award from Venezuela.

Then Colbert hands out his first Stephen Colbert Fear Award. Each recipient gets a handsome bronze medal depicting a naked man running with scissors.

The winners: ABC, CBS AP, NYT and especially NPR for not letting their employees attend the rally. "Since they wouldn't allow any employees to attend, we were forced to [give the award] to someone with more courage -- a 7-year-old girl. Come on out, darling."

1:37 p.m. update: "Obviously sanity does not mean never having an unreasonable moment," Stewart says. "Here are some of the most notorious" people who represent our "temporarily less reasonable brethren."

Steven Slater, the infamous JetBlue flight attendant: "I could have written a book on ... etiquette. Next time I will try working things through."

Real Housewife of New Jersey Teresa Giudice: "There was no need to shout ... and overturn a table ... and it is not my place to judge."

1:36 p.m. update: Yusuf and Ozzie have had enough -- they put their arms around each other's shoulder and leave.

"We're here and we got all these people and we got no train" cries Stewart.

The sound of soul song "Love Train" is heard.

"What's that?" Stewart says. Colbert says he's not going to get on any love train. Then Stewart asks him: "STDs?" To which Colbert responds: "STDs, heartbreak -- that is scary. I'll get on the Love Train!"

Stephen Colbert interrupts him. "Yusuf -- Joe if I may -- I respect you. I love you, But I am not getting on that train. I'm not getting on some international peace train that probably needs a Europass to get on it. I have a better train and the conductor has an important announcement to make."

"Dear God, all of us down here on the Mall -- hope you can see us, we're having a wonderful time. ... We want to thank you for getting all of us here safely and for making it possible to find parking spaces."

Video: Stewart and Colbert compete for audience support:

1:11 p.m. update: Colbert directs the crowd:

If you're here to restore sanity, say, "I'm concerned with the direction of the country, but am open to hearing a variety of ideas. 1, 2, 3!"

If you're here to keep fear alive, let me hear you say, "Whoooo!"

1:10 p.m. update: Luke Russert's back! MSNBC's Overeager Correspondent tells anchor Tamron Hall that there are some "really funny things" being said, and that Jon Stewart claims there are 10 million people here, but Russert maintains it's about 100,000.

1:07 p.m. update: Stephen Colbert joins Jon Stewart onstage, comes up from his underground Fear Bunker like a Chilean miner, only he's dressed like Evel Knievel, and waving a Chilean flag. He pretends to release bees to send the crowd into a panic.

1 p.m. update: "We have over 10 million people!" Stewart says. "It is a perfect demographic sampling of the American people because we know if you have too many white people at a rally, then your cause is racist but if you have too many people of color at a rally, well then you must be just asking for something -- like eating in a restaurant."

12:56 p.m. update: Jon Stewart finally takes the stage. He introduces four soldiers, who sing the national anthem. "This is what it's all about!" one of the soldiers shouts to the crowd.

Thousands turned out for the rally. (Getty)

12:39 p.m. update: Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters" have the crowd do "the wave." It takes under a minute. Then only women do "the wave." Then just the guys. Guys get through it faster than chicks -- duh.

Then the crowd makes noises as instructed on the jumbotron:

Laugh Politely -- like at a cocktail party

Cheek Pop

Silent

Laugh Like a Mad Scientist

Cry

After that, the "Mythbusters" hosts note that the crowd constitutes "about 20 million pounds of meat" and has everyone jump at the same time so seismologists can measure the earth movement. The jump is 14 times smaller than the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco -- but 10 times more powerful than a minor car crash.

12:40 p.m. update: MSNBC tells viewers to "Look at the tens of thousands of people" on the Mall!" They promise to have more at the top of the hour, when Stewart and Colbert take the stage.

This past hour, CNN has addressed the rally with comedian/CNN correspondent Pete Dominick, a former Stewart/Colbert warm-up comedian, weighing in on the crowd. Fox News Channel has Molly Henneberg on the Mall, talking about all the humorous signs she has seen. She also reminds viewers that Stewart memorably called the leader of the free world "dude" while interviewing him on "The Daily Show" taped this week in Washington.

12:33 p.m. update: Looks like Comedy Central will not run ads during the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" -- a banner has appeared at the bottom of the screen announcing that Reese's candy manufacturer is "a proud sponsor" of the rally. Earlier, another strip across the bottom of Comedy Central's screen had proclaimed VW a proud sponsor.

12:28 p.m. update: Off stage right -- where John Legend and the Roots are performing, the camera pans to a Great Wall of Porta-Potties.

John Legend performs. (Getty)

12:25 p.m. update: John Legend and the Roots perform Bill Withers's ("Ain't No Sunshine") anti-war tune "I Can't Write Left Handed" which, Legend tells the Mall crowd, Withers wrote after speaking to a young Vietnam War vet who told him , "I don't mind getting shot at -- it was getting shot that [expletive] him up."

12:22 p.m. update: Legend and the Roots still onstage. CNN is interviewing Kerry Washington about her new movie, "Colored Girls." MSNBC is updating news about Tropical Storm Shary. And Fox News Channel is in commercials.

12:10 p.m. update: MSNBC's Alex Witt throws to Over-Eager Correspondent Luke Russert on the Mall, and asks, "Are people all fired up and ready to go?"

Russert yells into his microphone to be heard as opening band the Roots performs. He reiterates that the Mall is still packed, that there are lots of people holding signs that question politics and the mainstream media. Russert scores points with his bosses when he gets in a plug for NBC, noting that the Roots are the band for NBC's "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon." Nicely played, Over-Eager Correspondent Luke Russert!

12:10 p.m. update: John Legend takes the stage with the Roots. They sing "Dear God 2.0" and "Hard Times."

Some attendees looked for humor with their costumes. (Getty)

Noon update: After numbing our brains with a "Scrubs" marathon, Comedy Central cuts without ceremony to its "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear." C-SPAN does lots of blah, blah, blahing over video of the rally starting and then stops talking so rally viewing can begin in earnest. Cable news channels are elsewhere.

The Capitol is the backdrop for the Roots -- this rally will not use the Lincoln Memorial as a running-joke backdrop, as have other recent clambakes on the Mall, like Glenn Beck's rally and AMC's recent zombie invasion.

"Fear Is My Religion" reads a sign being waved by one Colbert fan.

While C-SPAN and Comedy Central telecast the opening act of the rally, Fox News Channel was discussing the explosive packages on UPS, MSNBC was talking to a reporter about the bankruptcy rate in Nevada and CNN was at Charleston, W.Va., rally where Sarah Palin was expected at any moment.

11:41 a.m. update: Dan Zak reports from the Mall:
The Porta-Potty situation down here is fine, but there is one food/drink stand, the line is 45 minutes long, and I've heard they're out of almost everything.

11:28 a.m. update: Monica Hesse reports from the Mall:

Many folks had Halloween in mind. (Michael Temchine for The Washington Post)

The main pre-rally entertainment on the Mall has been snippets of rally-related segments from "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" in the days leading up to today's rally. Here we have Colbert explaining the thin line between reason and treason. There we have Arianna Huffington announcing she will provide buses to transport New Yorkers wanting to attend the rally. The audience watches these broadcasts, remembering fondly their own past, of three weeks ago. It gives the whole event a dose of instant nostalgia and historic-ness.

10:30 a.m. update: MSNBC has dispatched the late Tim Russert's son, Luke Russert, to the Mall. Standing on Third Street with the rally stage in the background, Russert reports there are a lot of people.

"To give you New Yorkers a sense of what that is, that's 12 city blocks packed with people," Russert explains, apparently thinking MSNBC reaches only New Yorkers.

A rallygoer hoists homemade signs. (Getty)

"It looks like there's thousands and thousands and thousands. But 220,000 people RSVP'd on Facebook. It looks like they're well on their way to achieving that number," he says confidently.

"So, we're told this is a nonpolitical rally. Do you think people in the crowd behind you there buy that?" pipes in anchor Alex Witt, in studio.

"So that I really think is -- that's the mind-set of the kids here and also the older folks have -- a healthy dose of skepticism ... that the way things, the insanity shift, will be of cable news and to the political process is what we're really rallying against."

We have NO idea what that means. Note to MSNBC: Maybe you want to tell your correspondent not to use "we" when reporting on rally attendees.

Back to MSNBC:

"Wow, are we supposed to take offense at that?" Witt responds. Awkward laughter from Russert.

10 a.m.:The "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" does not start for another two hours but C-SPAN is already warming up its audience, spending the final 15 minutes of its "Washington Journal" program with a call-in segment, asking people for their thoughts on the rally and instructing Dems to phone in on one line, Republicans on another and independents on a third.

"This rally out there, it's great these people are out there, but they're taking it seriously and yet, what it is called -- 'Restoring Sanity'?" marvels Deborah of Los Angeles, a phoned-in Republican. "So these two comedians have got these thousands of people out there, which, by the way, journalists weren't supposed to be able to cover this, so I don't know how you guys are. ... I guess it's your First Amendment right to be out there to cover it, but they weren't issuing credentials to ... the conservative media. So people are out there thinking this is real. You've got a guy in a banana suit," she says, referring to one rally attendee. (Stephen Colbert had urged his fans to show up in costume.)

"The importance of this rally is that the country see that there are many real people that support reasonableness and civility," weighs in Barbara of Reston, a phoned-in Democrat.

"I certainly support freedom of speech and the right of this group to meet today, but ... I do think the liberals and left show fascist leanings of shutting down anything that's independent of their own," added Mark, of Albany, N.Y., as the C-SPAN camera pans to a sign being waved by a rally attendee:

GOD HATES SNUGGIES

"I think it's about time somebody got together and did something about this," says Greg, a phoned-in independent from Fort Lauderdale. We do not believe he was talking about Snuggies.

And its still an hour and half before the rally, those are only sound checks, I'm sure audio will be fine for the official broadcast.

I know Fox news is part of the Insanity this Rally is fighting (as is CNN, MSNBC and most other news outlets), but isn't them carrying this feed a GOOD thing? who knows if it might reach some people in a good way.

Ironic detachment -- yeah, that's the ticket. That will surely fire up the immature voters to turn out for the left. But I guess smug cynicism is smarter and more worldly than the previous fad. You remember -- hope and change.

A rapper band with a Tuba.. OMG I think I'm gonna fall off my chair. Yes by all means restore sanity. Only thing that would make this any type of restoration of sanity, would be for Jon Stewart to use the same angst he had on Crossfire years ago. Address that BOTH sides of the aisle need to stop the B.S. and start to grow jobs. It's the frickin economy people, get that... JOBS.. Businesses getting people back to work...Screw the left right...GET THE ECONOMY back on track then you can work on the pet issues...

Interesting that anyone would care about a live feed's provider. It is still the same boring event no matter who streams it. Myth Busters is really silly. But, hey, I am trying to give sanity a chance, but I haven't seen any yet.

Nice to see my fellow Americans getting together in a positive way. Do not understand why some here just want to be negative - doesn't help, doesn't solve, doesn't do anything positive.
With 80% of this country still 'white,' (latest data from Census Bureau) would expect a rally of this size to look exactly like it does.

it would be nice if the video feed didn't start automatically, in case someone comes to this page just to follow the live-blogging. on the other hand, since the live-blogging never actually updates any new information, i suppose the video helps maintain the illusion that there really are reporters/live-bloggers at the event. (seriously, can't you find a way to report from an event like this so the site updates at least once ever, oh i don't know, 30 minutes? right now it's 1:12, and the last 'live-blogging' update showing up (after refreshing the page) was posted at 12:28. what's the point?)

Ok you guys are kidding....you do know Colbert,Stewart and Beck are great friends? This is a tool party....are you kidding me the last weekend of the biggest election...where are the phone bank people...the door to door independents getting out the last push for demis or independents....yup at the tool party!!!

Get a clue! See the raking of (dude) Obama on Stewarts show...yea...he's respectful.....ssheesh guys...WAKE UP!!

wow....WHAT PURPOSE DOES THIS SERVE? ALL I CAN SEE IS A BUNCH OF SMART YOUNG KIDS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WTF ARE WE DOING HERE...IS IT REAL OR IS THIS FUNNY? SOMEONE PLEASE TELL THE PERSON WITH THE GOD HATES SNUGGIES SIGN...UH WE ARE TRYING TO BE SERIOUS...I THINK? HUH? WAIT ARE WE?
STOP MESSING WITH MY MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you seem awfully angry - why are you spending your Saturday complaining about the rally?
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I'm not angry. I'm enjoying a good football game with the sound turned off and eagerly anticipating Tuesday's returns.

It's a hoot listening to Stewart and Colbert"s self-promoting ego trip that seems to be all the libs have this year. Sixty percent of the country is pissed off at Obama radical change that we don't believe in. The left answers with ... a comedy show based on ironic detachment. A rally about nothing. OK.

Hey, Cat Stevens! He's the guy who supported the fatwah (call to murder) which the Ayatollah Khomeini issued on Salman Rushdie. The alliance of the left with jihadists is somehow fitting. Guess what common hatred unites them?

you seem awfully angry - why are you spending your Saturday complaining about the rally?
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I'm not angry. I'm enjoying a good football game with the sound turned off and eagerly anticipating Tuesday's returns.

It's a hoot listening to Stewart and Colbert"s self-promoting ego trip that seems to be all the libs have this year. Sixty percent of the country is pissed off at Obama radical change that we don't believe in. The left answers with ... a comedy show based on ironic detachment. A rally about nothing. OK.

Hey, Cat Stevens! He's the guy who supported the fatwah (call to murder) which the Ayatollah Khomeini issued on Salman Rushdie. The alliance of the left with jihadists is somehow fitting. Guess what common hatred unites them?

WOW so this is what it's all about.....uh...absolutely nothing.....for a minute there I thought it was serious.....Whew! so these kids just went for fun....Oh I get it..it all makes sense now....ok keep the God hates Snuggies sign up...I get it....it's a joke!!!

Holy crap that crowd is MANY times larger than Beck's rally, which had the 600 yard long Reflecting Pool running down the center of it. Also, these people are standing should to shoulder, wwhile Becks people sat on blankets and in rows of lawn chairs.

This is not a rally about nothing. It's about narcissism. This ironically detached people may not believe in much, but they're quite sure of one thing -- that they're much smarter than those of us who aren't at their stupid rally.

Some interesting comments here...seems that if you poke fun in the "wrong" direction, you're "angry" and everything this smrik-fest is against. If you poke it in the "approved" direction, you're witty and smug.

Speaking as a fairly democratic voter, all I can say is that this is dumb. It's about as painful to watch as Beck's rally. Beck's rally was a satire in itself anyway, this rally is superfluous. There was more humor in the idiocy spewed from Beck's rhetoric than could be found in this.

rjpal: The Faux in Fox News isn't in reference to dis-informative reporting, it's for the fact that it's not usually reporting on a news story, it's pushing an agenda, and news isn't about that, which makes it a fake news station, since they seem to have such a hard time telling things straight. Far too much opinion/slanted reporting, not enough straight facts. Every reporter has a moment to express opinion, but to have it so prevalent throughout your coverage, it's just farcical.

There hasn't been this much self-regard in one place since the days of, "We are the ones we've been waiting for". Actually, it's probably the same crowd recovering from their silly dream that died. These folks can use a little sanity. They were filled with "passionate intensity" just two years ago.

Now they're yucking it up and feeling proud of themselves for being above the fray. Fine with me. Let the immature voters stay home.

There hasn't been this much self-regard in one place since the days of, "We are the ones we've been waiting for". Actually, it's probably the same crowd recovering from their silly dream that died. These folks can use a little sanity. They were filled with "passionate intensity" just two years ago.

Now they're yucking it up and feeling proud of themselves for being above the fray. Fine with me. Let the immature voters stay home.

Funny to read eoniii's comments. Like a petulant child, he seems awfully angry not to be invited to the party. Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear promotes and praises reasonableness and didn't put down anybody except for extremists and a failed press. It was a good live show with lots of celebs contributing to people having a good time.

The Yusuf "Peace Train"/Ozzy "Crazy Train" face-off was hilarious. Only Jon Stewart could get those two on the same stage to promote the message of people getting along. Bravo!

Yusef is the same guy who called for the murder of Salman Rushdie for blasphemy. Are you unaware of that?

I'm laughing at (not with) this rally. But I do like the "plague on both their houses" call for moderation. The main target seemed to be ... real cable news as opposed to Stewart's fake, ironic variety. Just a big promo, really.

The people in Stewart's audience have made the pilgrimage over the past few years from bitterly denouncing "BushHitler" to worshiping a messianic figure who was going to end the war, restore the economy and stop the seas from rising. Now they favor a pose of detached moderation. Who says there's no such thing as moral progress?

There hasn't been this much self-regard in one place since the days of, "We are the ones we've been waiting for". Actually, it's probably the same crowd recovering from their silly dream that died. These folks can use a little sanity. They were filled with "passionate intensity" just two years ago.

Now they're yucking it up and feeling proud of themselves for being above the fray. Fine with me. Let the immature voters stay home.

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. For someone who thinks this rally is a big waste of time you're certainly spending a lot of time and energy bashing it. Not in one post, not in two, but probably over a dozen! Clearly this rally has touched a nerve in you and frankly its hilarious to see these reactions.

This rally has clearly made people happy, its made them laugh, and enjoy life for a bit - in other words, it has made people into the complete opposite of you! Man you have absolutely no idea how bitter and downright cranky you are coming off.

Hey there might be some darn' lazy kids playing on your front lawn that you may want to yell at - better go check! *laughs*

There hasn't been this much self-regard in one place since the days of, "We are the ones we've been waiting for". Actually, it's probably the same crowd recovering from their silly dream that died. These folks can use a little sanity. They were filled with "passionate intensity" just two years ago.

Now they're yucking it up and feeling proud of themselves for being above the fray. Fine with me. Let the immature voters stay home.

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. For someone who thinks this rally is a big waste of time you're certainly spending a lot of time and energy bashing it. Not in one post, not in two, but probably over a dozen! Clearly this rally has touched a nerve in you and frankly its hilarious to see these reactions.

This rally has clearly made people happy, its made them laugh, and enjoy life for a bit - in other words, it has made people into the complete opposite of you! Man you have absolutely no idea how bitter and downright cranky you are coming off.

Hey there might be some darn' lazy kids playing on your front lawn that you may want to yell at - better go check! *laughs*

I enjoyed the rally. Think the bottom line is that the hate, racism, bigotry,fear mongering has to come to an end as this is NOT what our country is all about.
Was heart warming to see so many young people there, uniting.

The rally was a good thing for America. It is a little awkward fitting Stewart & Colbert together in one show. Colbert always plays the same blowhard character. Jon Stewart always plays himself. I did especially enjoy seeing Mavis Staples. I used to see her and her family (The Staple Singers) whenever they sang at a church in my home town. It seems like yesterday Mavis was still in her teens. It seems like yesterday the country was a saner place too.

Lisa, great job in keep those of us who couldn't attend informed. I'm from Indiana and our daughter/husband attended as new college students. They just want jobs and for the insanity to STOP. What a great event and coverage that I couldn't find here in IN.

Yeah, eoniii, you are really 'concerned' about Salman Rushdie...until he comments about how crazy right-wingers are. Your insincere 'concern' for him is very touching. I'm sure you support his right to comment how nuts and idiotic Sarah Palin is, correct?

Just as long as you're consistent and not using him to put Yusuf and the Rally in a bad light. That you support Rushdie's right to express how useless Republicans are and his contempt for organized religion in general. How open-minded you are... until he disagrees with you, right?

For the full 3 hours, we watched the Rally in Washington and wished we could have been there.
It looked like a lot of fun and what a crowd turned out!
They reflected the joy we take when we care about and support our country.
The youth and the young families were especially uplifting.
I think these two comedians did our country a great service.
They gave the rest of us an opportunity to gather on our National Mall in a groundswell of real grassroots.
My compliments to Comedy Central and to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for this real exercise in democracy and love of our country!
And thank you, C-Span, for your excellent coverage.
We ought to do this more often.
Our nation needs a renewal of spirit.

Great, eoniii. Could you now condemn Sharron Angle for promoting "2nd amendment solutions" should she and other conservatives not get elected? As those are threats of violence and murder against fellow Americans.

NOW TURN THIS ACTIVISM AND HUMOR DIRECTLY TO THE POLLS ON TUESDAY AND SWEEP THE DEMOCRATS BACK INTO POWER FOR 2 MORE YEARS, TO FINISH THE NATIONS BUSINESS...

Posted by: demtse
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That's so two years ago.

Haven't we suffered enough from the political naivete and half-backed enthusiasms of immature voters? This year the kids should be ironically detached, like Stewart's rally, and stay home. Let the adults who have to live in the real world and deal with the real consequences of high taxes and reckless spending fire the Dems for inflicting upon us Obama's radical agenda.

eoniii likes to mock people for "naivete" (since he is so wise) but he's totally ok with hypocrisy. After all, he's completely outraged that Yusuf Islam was at the Rally to Restore Sanity (he threatened mur-durrr against Salman Rushdie) but he loves when Sharron Angle and Tea Baggers threaten "2nd amendment solutions" and violent overthrow of a freely elected administration. Isn't that right, eoniii? Don't you love when Tea Baggers so reasonably threaten violence when they don't get the policies they want?

"The kids should stay home"? Way to be condescending. The "kids" who have the legal right to vote and many who are far smarter than their elders? The "kids" who are inheriting the mess that the older folks stuck them with? The "kids" who are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan while you, eoniii, who are so wise, sit at home getting upset about a comedic rally and contribute nothing but complaints somehow know better? I don't think so.

If you knew anything, you would acknowledge that the enormous deficits we're still incurring came from 2 unfunded wars started by Bush, unfunded tax cuts proposed by Bush, a prescription drug plan also unfunded pushed through by Bush, and an economy in shambles because of the deregulation and carelessness of Bush. But you can't acknowledge that because then you'd have nothing to cling to, would you?

I'd much rather have the "kids" deciding this election than liars and toadies like you.

Thank you for including the aerial photo, which shows a moderately attended rally. It sounds like a fun day, and I have no objections to the rally, but I do object to the rather slavish coverage by the Post. When the March for Life descends on the Mall in January, there will be no aerial photo. If there were, it would easily show many multiples of this many people. I would say more than five times as many as the photo shows. One would never know it from the coverage by this paper and other media outlets.

This front page Washington Post photograph of the Rally to Restore Sanity must have been taken before the rally started! People began to gather before 7 a.m. We were there from 9 a.m., and when the monitors scanned the crowd (repeatedly over time during the show)and the photographer near us scanned the crowd with his telephoto lens, THEIR photos showed the crowd was MUCH bigger, even their first ones, than the one on the front page of the Post! It went all the way through the Reflecting Pool and looked as though it was all the way to the Lincoln Memorial! The police closed the Mall itself sometime before the Rally started at noon. How many does it take for them to do that?? And so the crowds gathered on the streets surrounding the Mall. So what is the Post trying to prove showing such a misleading photo!!!! The spirit and fun and SANITY we all shared were quite amazingly different from what you are showing! WHY???!!!

Pupster, I'm all for our troops voting. Unlike immature college kids or twenty-somethings living in their parents' basements, who helped elect Obama, they understand this is a dangerous world we live in with real enemies. Unfortunately, several states didn't mail them their ballots in time for them to vote.

The "immature" college kids and "twenty-somethings living in their parnets' basements" are neither immature or worthy of your contempt. Many of them are building the internet infrastructure you seem to use without thought to its origins, and if some are living with parents, it's because of this horrible economy that the Bush people and irresponsible people of your generation stuck us with. Maybe you should just be quiet and try to learn something from young people instead of judging inaccurately that they are unworthy to vote.

I agree that people of my generation of both parties have wrecked the economy. The Boomers are the only generation that will leave America poorer than they found it. It's unfair that your generation will be paying for our Medicare and Social Security for the next thirty years.

It's also unfair that we didn't educate your generation better so that you wouldn't have voted for that "hope and change" charleton. He's taken a bad recession and turned it into the longest and deepest contraction since the Depression. Usually, the economy is growing smartly this far in, as is happening in Germany, Canada and other developed economies. But Obama's agenda has scared businesses and individuals into not investing.

What a relief to read that Jon Stewart said, "We can animus and not be enemies." I thought he said, "We can have enemas," and figured it was one of the unheralded benefits under the new healthcare law.

The 3:08 p.m. update quotes Stewart: "We hear every damn day about how fragile our country is -- on the brink of catastrophe, torn by polarizing hate. The truth is, we work together to get things done, every damn day. The only place we don't is here [he points to the city] or on cable TV. But Americans don't live here, or on cable TV."

He was NOT pointing to "the city," he was pointing to THE CAPITOL, which was directly behind the stage.

Thank you. I have heard this misstatement from multiple sources, and decided to correct it here. I get here, and you've already done it. It was really obvious to me he was referring to the Capitol. Hard to get that wrong, but many have.

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